


Crossing The Floor

by HenryMercury



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Parliament, Politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-17 20:15:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5884060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HenryMercury/pseuds/HenryMercury
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Look,” Zuko's sister tells him sternly, “you can have all the crises of conscience you want on your own time, out of the public eye, but the fact remains that this is not a conscience vote. You vote along party lines or your political career will end, permanently.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crossing The Floor

**Author's Note:**

> Small, accidental political AU. Because I can't seem to have any kind of conversation without it giving birth to a fic somehow.  
> Westminster system because I'm Australian and you've gotta deal with it.

“I don’t even think some of these measures are legal,” Zuko whispers, looking down at the Bill in his hands.

“I’m surprised you’ve read it,” Azula replies, “let alone understood its implications.”

Zuko doesn’t tell her that Uncle is the one who explained a lot of it to him.

“Relax, Zuzu, if it’s _not_ legal the court will strike it down, and we’ll still have done our best to give the public what they want. We’ve been over this.”

The problem is that Zuko doesn’t know that more bombs _is_ what the public wants. More war. More of the war that their father declared during his term.

This is what _Azula_ wants. It’s Azula’s Bill, and if it succeeds it’ll give her the momentum she needs to become the next leader of the Party. And it’s _going_ to succeed, because now that Azula has secured the votes of Long Feng and his people, they have a slim but undeniable majority in both Houses.

If just one of the Bill’s pledged supporters were to cross the floor, though…

Zuko lets the papers fall onto his lap before the sweat on his hands starts to leave blotches on them.

“Look,” his sister tells him sternly, “you can have all the crises of conscience you want on your own time, out of the public eye, but the fact remains that this is not a conscience vote. You vote along party lines or your political career will end, permanently.”

Zuko’s used to things moving slowly, but it feels like no day has ever crawled by quite as pathetically this. He wipes his palms on his trousers so many times that Azula actually catches the hand closest to her and digs her nails into his wrist to stop him. He silences a yelp. 

Sometimes it’s hard to feel like you have a real, grown-up job when you still spend all day sitting next to your sister. Azula insists that the Ministers for Defence and Immigration ought to sit side by side, however.

Her nails leave red arcs in his skin even after her hand withdraws. They linger, a pointed reminder of all he owes her for. Getting him his job back after that slipup with the media, telling them he wasn’t so sure about what his Dad was doing in office. He’d only been young, sure, but he still should have known better. This is another of those moments. Moments that ask him to keep his real thoughts to himself.

All he has to do is cast his vote. A simple _aye._

But at the same time, it’s not simple at all. Zuko says _aye_ , and bombs fall on someone’s village. Zuko says _aye_ , and a new demographic will be plundered for military conscripts. Zuko says _aye_ , and he signs someone’s death warrant. It doesn’t matter that all the people sitting beside and behind him are going to bear the same guilt, because one vote really will make the difference. His vote could make the difference.

He looks across the room. Sees Katara, glaring; Aang, the young independent who nobody saw coming, but who has managed to rally members of other parties, both major and minor, behind _him_. Suki and the other Kyoshi MPs. Zuko’s been told all his life that it doesn’t really matter what his conscience tells him, this is just how politics works - but he doesn’t think Katara would be here if that was really the truth. Doesn’t think Suki would campaign the way she does if she ever felt like as much of a puppet as Zuko does right now.

Zuko catches Aang’s eye by accident, and the other man holds it, even gives a small friendly smile. Zuko forgets how to listen to the Speaker for a moment.

The Speaker’s voice drifts back into focus only when Azula’s elbow lands between Zuko’s ribs and his hip.

_ “…those in favour, say Aye.” _

“Aye!” Azula calls out, voice as strident as ever. She speaks like the taste of triumph is already in her mouth.

Zuko sees that Aang is still looking at him, still smiling, and his mouth doesn’t move until after the Speaker has called for the Noes.


End file.
